2000 Ford Windstar Reviews - Page 15 of 18

2000 Ford Windstar SEL from North America

Summary:

Faults:

Minor problems with automatic side doors sticking or not shutting. Had a problem with the power steering, but they fixed it under warranty. Had about 7 recalls which they fixed.

General Comments:

Basically everything was fine UNTIL! 2 days after the warranty ran out the transmission dropped out of it. It is 3 years old, but only has 28,000 miles on it. They would not pay for it, but did offer to cover 50% of it. I ran it up through Ford and they came back and basically said this was the best they could do. I never pulled anything behind it and it doesn't even have a trailer hitch! Poor quality.

13th May 2004, 07:03

I just wanted to say I'm experiencing the same problem with my Ford Windstar. 1 day after the warranty was up my transmission started shifting very rough, to the point where I was afraid to take it on the road with my kids. We took it in for repair and instead of fixing the problem under warranty which they agreed to do being that it was so close to the warranty expiration date, they said all it needed was a transmission flush, which of course is not warranty and is $160. The van only has 31,000 miles on it, and I don't drive it much as I am a stay at home mom, I feel like they wanted to do the flush, just to get out of doing warranty work, so that when it happens again a month from now, they can say "sorry...too far out from your warranty"...needless to say, we're ready for a different car and a different company!!!

2000 Ford Windstar LX V6 from North America

Summary:

The Windstar is a real lemon product

Faults:

-The front end of my Windstar starting making a horrible creaking sound at 1,500 miles. The rack and pinion was replaced by the dealer where I purchased the vehicle. Ford obviously knows that the rack and pinion has been a big problem in several of their vehicles including the Windstar and Taurus. The front end starting making noise again at about 10,000 miles and I took it into the dealer again. They claimed they could not find a problem. The front end problems still exist and I cannot get the dealer to fix it properly. It makes a creaking and hissing noise that is discomforting. My wife does not like to drive it because she is afraid it will break down.

-The brakes started fading and making a grinding noise at 17,000 miles. The engine was also making a ticking noise like the valves were going bad. I took it into the dealer and they replaced the front brake pads and rotors plus the entire rear brakes. They could not find anything wrong with the engine noise though. I have never heard of brake pads being replaced this early and certainly not the entire brake system parts for front and rear. Ford obviously knows this has also been a big problem with the Windstar. What is so discomforting is that both the front end problems and brake problems cause huge safety risks for drivers of these vehicles.

-The orange engine warning light went on at 16,000 miles and I took it into the dealer for repair. The engine had been getting louder and still making the ticking noise I complained to the dealer about when the brakes were fixed. The dealer replaced several engine sensor parts plus the exhaust manifold. Again, this is something that should not go bad this early in a vehicle. Ford also knows this is a big issue in the Windstar. The dealer even told me the new parts had been redesigned by Ford because of all the problems with the exhaust manifold.

-There have also been several recalls for the 2000 Windstar for various reasons in addition to all these other problems. I would think that Ford should have all the engineering bugs fixed on the Windstar by now. The Windstar model has been on the road for many years.

General Comments:

-Ford should do the right thing for the consumer and either fix all the engineering problems with the Windstar or discontinue the model and start over.

-Ford dealers should not mislead the consumer by not revealing their knowledge of past problems but work with consumers to fix their cars properly.

-Some of the persistent problems with the Windstar model are serious safety issues for the customer. It is sad that only class action suits or bad PR in the media, is what gets Ford to fix safety problems with their vehicles. Remember the Ford Explorer problems anyone?

-I work for a union and buy American made vehicles. I have bought several other Ford vehicles, but this is the last one for me.